Spain vs Scotland referee was branded 'worst in world' and 'hates fat and bald people'

Spain vs Scotland will be overseen by the “worst referee in the world" - well, at least that’s what former Hull City and Russia manager Leonid Slutsky thinks.

Steve Clarke’s side will wrap up their place in Euro 2024 if they are able to draw against the 2010 World Cup winners. A brace from Manchester United midfielder Scott McTominay saw them secure a shock 2-0 home victory against the two-time European Championship winners all the way back in March.

But while everyone will focus on the red and blue shirts jostling against each other, Slutsky may be watching referee Serdar Gozubuyuk with gritted teeth. Let’s just say, the Russian is not the Dutch official's biggest fan.

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In 2019, Slutsky went on one of the most spectacular refereeing rants ever seen in European football. At the time, he was managing Eredivisie side and former Chelsea loan-signing addicts Vitesse Arnhem.

In a tense and tetchy 3-3 draw against PSV Eindhoven, Vitesse’s Maikel van der Werff was given a straight red card after committing a foul in the penalty area. Mexican international Hirving Lozano stepped up and dispatched the spot-kick to claim a late point for PSV.

This decision was made without the use of VAR. After the game, a raging Slutsky strode up for his post-match interview and tore the referee apart. “In each game in Eredivisie I never think about the referee,” he yelled. “Absolutely top level, Champions League level.

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“Maybe the problem is his attitude towards me - maybe he doesn’t like fat people or bald people. He is like a waiter. Yes, he must be around the game because he is the referee. It is the players who are the most important people here. He thinks he is the most important. Absolutely the worst referee in the world that I have seen in my life.”

Slutsky was only just getting started. “All referees are very open, very friendly, smile, joke, shake hands,” he continued. “He [Gozubuyuk] never said hello, he never said goodbye and he never shook hands. He is arrogant. He is too selfish. He thinks he is God and all 21,000 people have come to watch his game, which is not his game.”

Maybe to save himself from a posse of, in Slutsky’s words “fat and bald people,” Gozubuyuk made a public statement to counter Slutsky’s rant. “All my friends can confirm that I have no hostility towards fat or bald people,” the referee wrote - yes seriously! “After the press conference, I even had the feeling that I was working at another match.

“The statement that I don’t shake hands with anyone is just stupid. I talked with commentators for ten minutes and even talked with Slutsky’s assistant. He himself ignored me. All this has gone too far, I consider the words spoken unacceptable. Let the federation make the decision.”

Gozubuyuk started his referee career in 2001 and he mainly plies his trade in the Eredivisie. In the 2014-15 season, he was named the best referee in Holland.

The 37-year-old was also the youngest Dutch international referee in history when he made his debut in the middle of the park in the Eredivisie.

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